NTCA Applauds Bill to Lower Broadband Costs

The Rural Broadband Association [NTCA] applaud the introduction of the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act.  The bipartisan legislation directs the Federal Communications Commission to require broadband service providers to contribute to the Universal Service Fund.

Currently, Big Tech firms, such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple and others garner some $200 billion annually in revenue from USF-funded regions without contributing to the $9 billion program.

“NCTA applauds the introduction of the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act, which would promote more predictable and stable funding to preserve and advance the statutory mission of universal service,” said NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield.  “As traditional telecommunications revenues decline, the assessment on the remaining consumers of such services increases, resulting in a disproportionate burden on those consumers even though they are not the most significant users of services or beneficiaries of underlying networks.”

She also says common-sense reforms like those directed by this legislation will shore up the foundation of universal service funding and will ultimately help low-income and rural consumers, schools, and other rural facilities that depend on critical universal service programs.

Sponsors of the legislation include senators Idaho's Mike Crapo, Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma, Mark Kelly, of Arizona, and North Dakota's Kevin Cramer.

Click Here to read the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act.

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